California taxpayers paying nearly $20M for wireless electric charging project at UCLA

Wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging is coming to a Southern California university’s streets with a hefty price tag that taxpayers are footing much of the bill for.

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is partnering with CALSTART and Electreon Wireless, Inc. to implement the charging infrastructure part of the “UCLA/Westwood Zero Emission Transit Service Expansion: Deploying Wireless Charging at Scale” project, according to documentation from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA).

The project has a total budget of just over $34,950,000, with $19,850,000 awarded from the state.  

“The nearly $20 million of state funds comes from the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, which is funded by two primary sources — 10% of statewide cap and trade auction proceeds, and a portion of the Transportation Improvement Fee that is collected during vehicle registration,” a CalSTA statement to FOX Business said. 

AI DEVELOPERS DISCOVER ‘DONALD TRUMP NEURON,’ EXPERT SAYS

“The project was selected through a detailed review process that includes a technical committee from multiple state agencies and departments, as well as an executive selection committee, before being awarded by the Secretary of Transportation,” the statement added.

In order for a project to be awarded funds, it must show evidence of increased ridership and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, CalSTA states.

LUXURY ELECTRIC AUTOMAKER’S ABANDONED CALIFORNIA HEADQUARTERS ‘LEFT IN COMPLETE DISARRAY,’ LANDLORD SAYS

The idea is to charge the university’s electric buses while they drive and are at stops, utilizing wireless chargers embedded in the asphalt, rather than when they are parked at night, director of UCLA Fleet and Transit Clinton Bench told Fast Company magazine, adding that the university is “committed to being a proving ground for new technologies.” 

While installation of the tech can be costly, Bench says the inductive charging can be cost-competitive with standard EV chargers. Thin charging coils can be added and connected when roads are due for resurfacing, and receptors can be added to electric vehicles to communicate with them and juice up. 

UCLA is hosting the Olympic Village for the 2028 Olympic Games, which will require the daily transport of about 15,000 athletes around the Los Angeles region. 

“The innovation being demonstrated in this project is of interest for its potential to have statewide benefit if it were applied within more transit electrification projects, a consideration in the award selection,” CalSTA stated in its award summary.